“Only different people change the world,” Granny used to say. “No one normal has ever changed a crapping thing.” – 3.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: secret languages, superheroes, quality literature, letters, bullying, baby brothers, gryffindor scarves, superheroes, cigarettes, hospitals, fairy tales, chocolate, hand sanitizer, big dogs, monsters and grief.

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

I admit this is my least favorite book from Fredrik Backman, but I still liked it a lot. It’s not a bad book by any means, but there’s something about it that I just didn’t connect with. I loved every single book I read from him, but I just felt like the story was lacking something.

The main plot is great. The relationship between the grandmother and Elsa is just beautiful, and it’s any child’s dream. I loved how her grandmother always stood up for her and protected her at all costs, and I thought it was adorable how they had their own secret language and stories. But the rest of the book where Elsa goes on her “adventure” just wasn’t that interesting to me. 

Fredrik Backman writes the most amazing, memorable characters, and this book was no exception to the rule. I admit I didn’t love Elsa as a character, but I really liked her granny, the monster and Britt-Marie – just to name a few. They’re all so unique that it feels like they’re real people!

The writing was amazing as always – I wouldn’t expect anything else, to be honest. And can I just say how much I loved the Harry Potter references? So unexpected, but I loved it! And the ending was so adorable! I thought it was a great conclusion to the story, in my opinion.

I also did not expect this book to mention Britt-Marie! I had no idea there were crossover characters in his books! Fortunately I haven’t read Britt-Marie yet, which is a good thing because this book came out first. I’m excited for that one!

Like I said, not my favorite book from him but I still enjoyed it!

xoxo,

“He sighed. “Does it get tiring?”
“What?”
“Always thinking you’re right.”
I smiled. “No, not really. It’s other people not realizing I’m right that gets tiring.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: advanced abilities, library books, water bottles, bronze bulls, enhancements, soda cans, illusions, modified toasters and lost letters.

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too… but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories… once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot… and a future that could change everything.

This book feels a bit different from the first one. I really liked the first book, Pivot Point, because I liked reading about Addie’s possible futures and you keep on guessing which path she would decide to take… and this one doesn’t have that. 

I once tried to read this book before, but at the time I felt a bit bored and I never finished it. Surprisingly, the same thing happened this time! But to be fair, I don’t think the book is boring or is lacking action, but the dynamics are very different compared to the first one, and that for me was what made it interesting.

What we do have in this book is the continuation of the decision made by Addie, but there are not a lot of decisions made in this, which was a bit disappointing. A cool thing we get in this one is both Laila and Addie’s points of view. Layla is a very interesting character, and I was glad Kasie gave her a spotlight in this book! She’s very different from Addie, so it was interesting to see her own thoughts and opinions.

The conclusion to the story was okay too, but I wanted more. I still liked it, but I definitely prefer the first book!

xoxo,

“One person can’t change the future. Do you know how many people and things are involved in every major event that happens? Sure, you might be able to change some of the minor aspects of a day, but ultimately things that are going to happen, if you go along a certain path, do happen.” – 4.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: comic books, superhero drawings, a new school, friendship, mental powers, murdered teenagers, football games, broken arms, divorced parents, drugs, the F.B.I., mind searches, advanced powers, erased memories, “Norms”, a letter to the future and difficult choices.

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier…

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through… and who she can’t live without.

Ms. Kasie West… you have done it again.

I have to be honest, I have been avoiding this duology because I knew it is not a typical Kasie West book. I didn’t know what to expect since it is a paranormal book, but it turned out better than I thought! Kasie delivered a very interesting concept with this duology.

I’ve read all of her YA romance novels and I’ve loved most of them, so I was afraid I wouldn’t like this at all. This was her debut novel… with a different genre! Fortunately, it still has her style, so it felt just like her other YA books.

It started like a cute, fluffy story (like your typical Kasie West book), but the second half part of the book was darker and creepy (definitely not like your typical Kasie West book). The plot was super interesting and I really liked the idea that Addie could see her possible futures based on a single future decision. I also really liked all the characters (I know I’m repeating myself here, but again, very typical characters for a Kasie West book). The plot had some holes and it’s not a perfect story, but I was still really into the book. I really liked that at some points both futures crossed (like the football game), I wasn’t expecting that! The ending chapters were crucial to the story, and I was hoping she would pick one specific parent, but at some point I completely understand why she would never pick that parent to live with. To be honest, the end was kind of heartbreaking since one of the futures (my fave) would never happen.

So this was very different from what I’m used to reading from her, but I really enjoyed it. If Kasie decided to write other books like this (other than YA contemporary romances), I know now that I would still pick them up. For my relief, it’s still her and it’s still her style.

I’m excited for the next book, I will definitely pick it up soon!

xoxo,

“I can see It from here.
It can’t see me.
It has to pay.
For everything.
All I need is a sign.
Please.
Give me a sign thar I can begin.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: pizza, piercings, blue eyes, PTSD, firefighters, messages, cameras, flyers, keys and cut hair.

There’s no escape from this room. Full of menace and suspense, it’s an unputdownable thriller–and a paperback original!

Alissa, Sky, Cleo, and Miles just wanted something to do on a Friday night, so they signed up for an Escape Room. They have one hour to find clues, crack codes, and figure out puzzles. The Game Master told them they can always leave the game. But what if that’s not true? What if the Game Master has no intention of letting them out?

I stumbled across this book on Goodreads and it looked interesting, so I decided to get it and see it for myself!

The plot was cool, but nothing out of this world. The story follows four teenagers who decided to participate in an escape room together and they get stuck there by some mysterious person who is controlling it. As far as the mystery goes, I was expecting a bit more, but I’m not too mad for how it turned out. There were some creepier parts here and there, but nothing too extraordinary as well. Overall I think it’s an okay story and the writing is not bad. I didn’t predict the outcome, which I thought was well put together and the story is wrapped up nicely.

The characters were okay, and Mint was my favorite of the group. She was very interesting and intelligent and I really liked reading about her! I just wish the author explored more of Mint’s ability. I thought this would be explained at some point, but it was only pointed out a few times when it was “necessary” for the story.

The book is relatively small and it has small chapters as well, so you will go through it quickly. We also get the points of view of all the four main characters in this, so we get to know what they’re thinking about the situations they’re in.

In the end, I liked it for what it was: a quick, entertaining read! It’s not a book that will change your life and it’s not a mind blowing thriller/mystery, but I think it’s a fun and different option to read on a Saturday afternoon.

xoxo,

“I hear the car before I see it, but even then, I don’t move, and later, I’d look back at that moment and wonder if I somehow knew what was going to happen. If everything in my life had been leading me to that one spot, to that one house. To him.” – 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: best friends, blackmail, magnolias, diamond earrings, decor, panic rooms, dog-walkers, boats, expensive lamps, committees, books and pity parties.

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

Originally I was going to give this 3 stars, but I thought about it for a few days and I decided it doesn’t deserve them, so I’m lowering my rating. I’m very disappointed with this book. It was one of the books I was most excited to read this year and it turned out to be a flop.

There were so many things I didn’t like about this book, but the worst was definitely the main character, Jane. Oh my God. I can’t even express how much I hated her – and trust me, it takes a lot for me to feel this strongly about a character. She was manipulative, selfish, envious, petty and to top it all off, a thief. And not the kind of thief who steals because they need it. No. She did it because she could, basically. She hated rich people so she stole from them because she was jealous of their lifestyle and that was her way of getting back (like that makes any sense). But the worst part is that at some point she was trying to please them and she admitted she wanted to be one of them – but she still hated them? Girl… you need Dr. Phil. I truly didn’t like her, but I was willing to forget about her if the rest of the book was good. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

The story was not interesting and was full of flaws, and the mystery was weak. The plot was a bit predictable (at least part of it) and to be honest, nothing interesting ever happened.

I think the writing overall was okay, but there are times when the author changes to the POV of one of the characters, and in the same chapters she would go back and forth in time and it got a bit confusing to keep up.

And that ending. The ending was just the nail in the coffin for me. I obviously can’t say too much about the ending, but I felt like the conclusion to this story was lacking and unsatisfactory in a lot of ways.

In conclusion: I really don’t understand the hype. I think part of the popularity this book got is because of the new cover, because it truly is beautiful. But to be completely honest, there are too many good thrillers/mysteries out there waiting for you to pick them up… don’t even bother with this one.

xoxo,

“Men are what they are because of what they do. Not what they say.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: morning inspections, rope, Saabs, radiators, stray cats, tools, lost wallets, white shirts, trailers, snow, parking tickets, train trips, grief, baby cribs, wheelchairs, kid drawings, mailboxes and nosy neighbours.

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

Everyone under the sun was recommending this book to me, so I finally bought it and I read it. And let me tell you, what an emotional rollercoaster it was! I was crying, then laughing… then crying again. I understand 100% why this book is so popular, and it deserves all credit.

A Man Called Ove is about a grumpy old man named Ove. He is a very strict, short tempered, serious man that has nothing friendly about him. He doesn’t get along with any of his neighbours and he has no plans of changing that. But what no one knows is that underneath his hard shell is a man who suffered a lot in life and still carries a lot of sadness and grief within. Until one day, when a new family moves in next door to him and Ove’s life changes forever.

I read Anxious People, and I thought this would be just as crazy/funny, but I was surprised by the amount of sad chapters this had. To be fair, there are a lot of funny scenes here, but this book talks about some serious, sad topics that I wasn’t expecting.

Ove is the kind of character that you think you would dislike, but I really liked him from the beginning. Maybe it’s because I myself have a Ove in my life, but I completely understood his pain and I cared a lot about him and his story – and I was rooting for him the entire time! So naturally, I cried a lot. Not only when I finished the book but also during most of it.

This is my third Fredrik Backman book, and I completely understand why his books are so popular. His writing style is very unique, and he has a talent to mess with your emotions. I also just watched the trailer the other day for the movie, and it looked interesting so maybe I’ll see the movie soon as well. I’m just hoping they did justice to the story!

It’s an amazing, emotional book that I will never forget. Highly recommend it!

xoxo,

“They will be judged, by the police and by everybody else. Serves them right, leaving their baby alone. She would think that, too, if it had happened to someone else. She knows how judgmental mothers are, how good it feels to sit in judgment of someone else.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: pink babygrows, video cameras, ransoms, dinners, debt, plans, tire marks, neighbours, police inspectors and missing babies.

It all started at a dinner party. . .

A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors–a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all–a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years.

What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family–a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

What an incredible book! I was hooked from the beginning and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it.

The plot was very interesting and unpredictable. The story is about a couple who has a six-month daughter, and when they come home from their neighbours’ house – because they just had dinner there – they notice their daughter is not in the crib. So now the baby is gone and you don’t know who did it. The police is called to the parents’ house and the inspector is determined to uncover the truth of what happened to the baby.

The story is told in third/first person, but not in a defined way. What I mean by this is that we don’t get chapters with different POVs. There is a third person narrator but we sometimes get to see what’s inside of every single person’s head. We get to see the perspectives of the parents, the grandparents, the neighbours and the police inspector.

We also get to know some things the characters don’t, but in the sense that some characters are hiding stuff and you know what they’re hiding, but the other characters don’t. But with that said, it’s important to say that you won’t know all their secrets in the beginning, so the surprise element is there and it’s constant!

What I liked so much about this book is that it’s the kind of mystery where you find out new information as the story goes… and you can’t trust anyone. The author did an amazing job creating a full mysterious experience for the reader, because there are so many twists and the story keeps changing so you never know what is going on and you can’t predict anything. 

It’s a really cool and very well made book, and I think anyone who likes thrillers/mysteries would really like it! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

xoxo,